National Salvation Front’s parties agree on unity

CAIRO: The National Salvation Front’s parties have agreed on running united for parliamentary elections, said Front leader and head of the Popular Alliance Party Abdel Ghafar Shoukr.

Shoukr told Youm7 that the outcome of the electoral alliance will depend on the form the electoral system will take. He stressed that the Front’s parties would not compete against each other even if they did not form one alliance.

Yasser Hasaan, member of the Supreme Commission of the Wafd Party, told Youm7 they would not ally with the Nour Party in the next parliamentary elections due to ideological differences. He said that the possibility of the Salafist party joining the Salvation Front had not been proposed, and that if an individual electoral system were adopted there will be coordination between the Front’s parties only.

Hasaan added that the participation of the Nour Party in amending the constitution and its decision to vote “yes” is considered a positive move. “We are against attacking the Nour Party as it logically opposed some issues within the 50- member committee.” Hasaan said. He pointed out that only the law will determine if the Nour Party is defined as a religious party.

He went on to add that the Nour Party would concern itself with the votes of persons who have a tendency to vote based on religious considerations, which could lead to electoral competition between the Nour party and other religious parties like al-Watan and Masr al-Qawia. According to Hasaan, this would divide religious constituencies, leaving the largest share of the vote for the secular parties.